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8 sheets-sheet 1.

(No Model.)

A. K. AVERLY.

RUNNING GEAR EOE VEHICLES.

No. 814,222. Patented Mar. 24', 1885.

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RUNNING GEAR POR VBHIGLBS.

No. 314,222. PatentedNar. 24, 1825.

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. RUNNING GEAR EOE VEHICLES. No. 314,222. I Patented Mar. 24, 1885.

Zaren [or the body 1a spindle, d',

in the reach-yoke H, and is journaled into a UNITED STATES PATENTOEEICE.

AMOS K. OAVERLY, OF MOLINE, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NOR TO SARAH OAVERLY.

RUNNING-GEAR FOR VEHlCLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 314,222, dated March24, 1885.

Application filed June 20, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may con/cern:

Be it known that I, AMos K. CAvEELY, of Moline, in the county of RockIsland and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Running-Gears for Vehicles, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in running-gears for vehicles, ofthe class known tothe trade as oscillating gears, in which the vehicleis, by means of a jointed or swiveled reach and oscillating mechanismbetween and front spring or other oscillating devices,relieved from thestrain of twisting the reach or body when the vehicle is passing overobstructions in the road or uneven and rough ground; and it consists incertain peculiarities in the construction of specific parts of the gear,and ,in various combinations and arrangements of such parts andothers,whereby simplicity and cheapness in construction, as well asstrength and durability and effectiveness in operation, are secured.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front view of my improved gear. Fig. 2 isa bottom view. Fig. 3 is a view in section on the line `:1c m in Fig. 2.Fig. 4 is a front view showing position of oscillator when the leftwheel is passing over an obstruction. Fig. 5 is an end view ofoscillator and connections, and Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9 are detail views ofvarious parts.

A is the bottom of the vehicle or wagon bed.

`Bris the front axle; B', the rear axle, and C C `the springs.

D is my improved reach,its rear end clipped or otherwise rigidly securedto the rear axle, Bits forward end, d, tapering and ending in whichpasses through an orifice tubular projection, e, extending from the rearof the upper disk, E, of the ifth-wheel, beyond which it is secured by anut, d2. The spindle thereby forms a bearing around which the yoke andthe fth-wheel with its dependent parts oscillate, while the reach isheld in longitudinal engagement with the fifth-wheel by the nut. Thisreach may be made of metal and .in one piece. A combination of wood andmetal, however, I have found very effective, and, for economy ofconstruction, light ness, and durability, ,.,instanca as in thedrawings,

may be preferred. For the spindle and tapering portion of the reach maybe made of steel or other suitable metal, and the metal at the taperdivided or forked, as at d, to receive the forward end of the woodenportion of the reach. The two arms or branches of metal from this divideor fork, extending along and embracing the sides of the wooden portionof the reach for about half its length, and secured thereto by bolts,and then running to the outer ends of the back axle, to the under sideof which they are secured by one of the rear spring-clips.

E is the upper disk of the ffthwheel,clipped to the under side ofthefront spring,construct ed with a central hollow ,vertical proj ection,e,upon which the upper end ofthe reach-yoke H rests and through which theking-bolt G passes, and with a flange, e2, on its periphery projectingbelow its lower face, within which the lower disk of the fth-wheel tsand rotates; At right angles to the vertical projection e', and with itsmain body beyond the periphery of the disk, is the horizontal hollowreach projection e, into which is journaled thespindie d of the reach D,and in front of 'which the reach is secured to the disk by the nut dt.This disk is clipped or otherwise secured to the bottom of the frontspring, with the vertical projection e behind such spring.

F is the lower disk ing a central hole, f, for the reception of theking-bolt G, and a surrounding rib, f upon which the lower end of thereach-yoke H sits. This disk has two parallel anges, f 2 f2, at rightangles to its lower face, in front. of the central hole, f, forming achannel within which the front axle or axle-block is embraced, and towhich the axle is clipped or otherwise secured. The diameter of thelower disk is slightly smaller than that of the upper one, and fits intoand rotates within the peripheral flange e of the latter, the two be ingheld together by the king-bolt G. In order to add strength to thesedisks,it may be advisable to construct them, as shown in Figs. 6 and 9,with ribs c f5 running across their outer faces, and where they are madeof malleable iron I prefer to re-cnforce them in this manner.

H is the reach-yokc, its upper arm, h, with central hole resting uponthe vertical proj ection e of the upper disk, and its lower arm,

of the iifth-wheel, hav

h', with like central hole resting upon the rib f on the lower disk.vThe king-bolt G passes through the arm It, the disks,and arm h', belowwhich it is secured by a nut. In the rear porb tion of this yoke thereis an opening, h2, through which the spindle d from the reach D isreceived before being journaled into the projection c of the upper disk.

I is the oscillator swivelblock, rigidly at- IO tached to the top of thefront spring'or front 'spring-block, with two vertical ears, i i,projecting from its sides. lllhe slide-block, i, is constructed with aflat body and a lug, i2, depending Yfrom the center of its lower face,I5 which is received between the ears t' oscillator swivel-block, and isswiveled upon the latter by a pin, i, passing through said ears and lug.rllhe slide-block runs in aslide, f, which is attached to the bottom ofthe vehicle-body, and the sides of which are curved around the sides ofthe block and extend slightly over its sides on its bottom face, thuskeeping the block within the slide while permitting its free lateralmovement. Its escape from the ends of the slide is prevented by a stop,i, on each end, or by other suitable means.

By my improved gear the disadvantage of twisting the reach, on the onehand, by the 3C use of a single straight reach connected directly withthe front axle, and the tendency to get out of order on the other-theusual re-v sult of the continued use of a jointed reach-- are obviated,for my reach, though not jointed, permits iexion of either of the axlesor fth-wheel without twisting the reach. The j king-bolt beingimmediately behind the axle, Aand not through it or removed to anyconsidy erable distance behind it, is a decided im- O provement. It notonly preserves the front axle intact and permits its whole body to beopposed to the weight of the load, but relieves it also from any strainwhich the reach if connected to it would cause, all the strain of the 5reach being upon the upper disk of the iifthwheel, which being solid andpreferably reenforced is better able to sustain it. The reach yoke formsa valuable support to the forward end of the reach, and also thefifthwheel. In light vehicles this yoke may be omitted, though I preferthis ora similarsupport in all classes of vehicles.

By the peculiar construction of theloscillating mechanism on top of thefront spring, the tendency to twist the vehicle-body or throw it out ofline with the reach when traversing rough and uneven ground is veryslight. The swiveling action of the oscillator swivelblock, aided by thesliding of the slide-block in the same direction as that in which theobstruction tends to disturb 'the alignment of the vehicle-body, servesto compensate for and overcome any twisting or straining that mightotherwise ensue,and imparts to the body gen- 6 5 erally an equilibriumundisturbed,or disturbed to'but a slight extent7 bythe character of theroad. The construction of the oscillating fi of the4 mechanism,moreover, is such that the oscillator will remain in alignment with thecenter ofthe body, whatever be the manner ofloading the vehicle, andwill only be actuated by contact by the wheels with obstructions-thatis, though all the weight of the loa-d being carried be placed in one ofthe front: corners of the vehicle, the body will remain on aline withthe oscillator, and will not shift to the opposite side, while if one ofthe wheels meets with an obstruction, however slight, the oscillatorwill depart from its line while passing over it.

I am aware that it ts not new to swivel the forward end of the reach inthe fifth-wheel, and to pivot the vehicle-body to the upper side of thefront spring, and I do not wish to be understood as claiming theseideas, broadly. I am not aware, however, that any one has ever beforeprovided a sliding connection between the spring and body, as hereinshown and described.

I claiml. 'Ihe combination, in a vehicle, oi'a straight reach attachedrigidly tol the rear axle and swiveled in the fifth-wheel at its forwardend, a spring attached to saidififth-wheel, carrying at its upper side ashouldered block, and a guiding-plate secured to the body of thevehicle, and adapted to receive and guide the shouldered block of thespring, substantially as set forth.

2. In avehicle, the combination of the swiveled reach, constructedsubstantially as described and shown, the fifth-wheel, the front springattached to the fifth-wheel, and carrying at its upper end a blockadapted to slide within a block upon the. under side of thevehicle-body, the vehicle-block being provided with stops to limit themovement of the springblock, as and for the purpose described.

3. A straight reach rigidly attached to the rear axle, its forward endjournaled into a projection from the rear of the upper' disk of thefifth-wheel, its forward portion behind the fifth-wheel supported by ayoke whose arms are swiveled by the king-bolt to the disks of thefth-wheel.

4. A straight reach rigidly attached to the IOC IIC'

vrear axle, its forward end journaled into a projection from the rear ofthe upper disk of the fth-wheel, its forward portion behind the fifthwheel supported by a yoke embracing such forward portion through a holevin its rear, and its arms swiveled to the disks of the tifth-wheel,immediately behind the front axle, by the king-bolt.

5. A iifth-wheel for vehicles, consisting of an upper disk with centralhollow vertical projection above, horizontal hollow projection in therear of and at right angles to such vertical projection, peripherallange extending below its bottom face and secured to the front springimmediately in front of such vertical projection, and a lower disk withlike central hole and parallel flanges in front of such hole adapted toit over and. around the front axle and secured thereto or to theaXle-b1ock,with v rigidly attached to the rear axle and swiveled itsdiameter slightly smaller than that of the in the fth-whee1,a springmounted upon the ro upper disk to fit and rotate Within the flangefifth-wheel, the body, and asliding connection on the periphery of theupper disk, and the .between the body and the spring.

5 king-bolt. A AMOS K. OAVERLY.

6. The herein-described running-gear for Witnesses: vehicles, consistingof the rear and front axles, H. D. BLAKEMORE,

a fifth-wheel mounted upon the latter, a reach GEO. L. MoMAsTER.

